For healthcare organizations, the operational and threat landscape has never been more challenging. Alongside managing patient care and complex regulations, they face a growing digital threat: ransomware.
These attacks directly threaten patient safety and disrupt critical operations, from scheduled surgeries to the flow of patient information. Understanding these ransomware attacks is key to building a strong defense.
This post explores why healthcare is a primary target, common vulnerabilities attackers exploit, and proactive steps to protect your data, operations, and most importantly, your patients.
Ransomware Continues to Evolve
Ransomware attacks are a persistent and growing threat across every industry, but they have found a particularly vulnerable target in healthcare. The FBI is actively tracking hundreds of ransomware groups operating worldwide. According to the CyberPeace Institute, a dozen ransomware groups targeted healthcare despite making promises not to. This intense focus should be a significant concern for every patient and provider.
About 20 years ago, data breaches were most often the result of lost or stolen devices. Malicious attacks like ransomware were far less common. Today, the majority of breaches now stem from malicious activities, including ransomware, phishing attempts, cloud misconfigurations, and insider threats.
The threat is not static. Government agencies from the U.S., U.K., and Australia frequently issue joint warnings about new malware variants and escalating attack campaigns. For instance, CISA, the FBI, and the NSA have issued joint advisories about specific threats like BlackMatter ransomware.
Why Is Healthcare Data So Frequently Targeted?
Cybercriminals target healthcare for specific, calculated reasons. The data itself is immensely valuable, containing protected health information (PHI), financial details, and personally identifiable information (PII). This data can be sold on the dark web or used for identity theft and fraud.
More critically, attackers understand that healthcare organizations cannot afford significant downtime. The immense pressure to restore services and access patient data directly impacts patient outcomes, creating urgency. This urgency provides attackers leverage and increases the chances of a ransom being paid, further making healthcare a uniquely high-stakes target.
The Ransomware Economy
The business model behind ransomware is brutally simple. The ransomware economy operates on the basic economic principles of supply and demand. A hospital needs its data to function, and the ransomware gang needs money. By stealing and encrypting the provider’s data, the attacker creates an artificial market where the only way to get the “product” (your data or medical record) back is to pay their price.
This criminal enterprise has become highly sophisticated. Novice criminals can purchase ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) kits on the dark web, complete with customer support to help them launch attacks and process payments. Key characteristics of this underworld include:
- Low Barrier to Entry: Ransomware software is readily available for purchase.
- Predictable Profits: The model provides a direct path to monetization with minimal contact.
- Built-in Buyer: The victim organization is the built-in buyer for their own data.
- Rapid Scalability: Attacks can be automated and deployed globally using cloud services.
- Anonymity: The use of cryptocurrency makes payments difficult to trace.
Paying the ransom is a dangerous proposition. While it may seem like a quick fix, it marks your organization as a “known payer,” putting a long-term target on your back for future attacks. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies strongly discourage paying ransoms because it fuels the cybercriminal economy and guarantees more attacks.
Alarming Ransomware Statistics
You can check out CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog which consolidates vulnerabilities that have been exploited.
According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report, 2025 , the HIPAA Journal, and the ClearDATA 2025 Healthcare Threat report, some alarming stats are especially relevant:
- The average cost of a ransomware incident remains critically high, reaching USD 5.08 million when an attacker publicly discloses the breach. (IBM and Penom Institute Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025).
- Fewer organizations are giving in to demands, with 63% of ransomware victims refusing to pay a ransom in 2025, an increase from 59% in 2024 (IBM and Penom Institute Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025).
- The ransomware risk report indicates healthcare is still a major target for ransomware gangs, with 77% of healthcare organizations targeted with ransomware in the past 12 months. 53% of those attacks were successful (HIPAA Journal).
- 211 Confirmed Attacks in H1 2025: The first half of 2025 alone saw 211 confirmed ransomware attacks against healthcare organizations globally, signaling a relentless operational tempo by cybercriminals (ClearDATA Healthcare Threat Report).
- Nearly a quarter (24.8%) of attacks now originate from compromised cloud infrastructure. This vulnerability is rapidly worsening, with the cloud infrastructure abuse rate surging from 45% in 2024 to 76% in 2025 (ClearDATA Healthcare Threat Report).
Common Root Causes of Ransomware Attacks in Healthcare
Attackers don’t need to be sophisticated; often, they just need to find a single weak point. Here are some of the most common vulnerabilities:
Weak Cloud Security Practices: As healthcare organizations increasingly adopt cloud services, poor configurations and weak security practices create vulnerabilities that expose sensitive data, leaving an open door for attackers.
Unpatched Vulnerabilities: Unpatched software leaves organizations vulnerable, as attackers often exploit flaws listed in resources like the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, making timely patching essential for security.
Dependence on Legacy Systems: Many healthcare organizations rely on older, legacy systems that are no longer supported by the manufacturer. These systems do not receive security updates, making them a permanent and easily exploitable vulnerability that attackers can target with well-known methods.
Lack of AI Governance: The rapid adoption of AI without proper governance introduces new risks. Unsecured AI models or data pipelines can be compromised, creating new entry points for attackers to access sensitive patient information or disrupt clinical workflows.
Lack of Monitoring and Segmentation: Without proper network segmentation, an attacker who gains access to one part of the network can easily move laterally, compromising critical systems and sensitive data across the organization.
Cloud Misconfigurations: Misconfigured cloud environments, such as open storage buckets or overly permissive access controls, can unintentionally expose sensitive healthcare data. These missteps often result from a lack of expertise or rushed cloud adoption, creating easy opportunities for attackers to exploit.
How Healthcare Organizations Can Respond and Fight Back
Given the certainty of future attacks, healthcare organizations must shift their mindset from “if” to “when.” A proactive, defense-in-depth strategy is the only effective way to combat the ransomware crisis. Knowledge is power, and there are many resources and best practices available to help.
How to Prevent Ransomware Attacks in Healthcare
Prevention is the most critical layer of defense. A strong preventative posture can stop an attack before it ever starts. Key strategies include:
- Cyber Hygiene and Awareness Training: Your staff is the first line of defense. Regular training on how to spot phishing emails and recognize social engineering tactics is crucial.
- Vulnerability Management: Implement a robust program for promptly identifying and patching vulnerabilities across all systems, from servers to medical devices.
- Secure Configurations: Ensure all systems, especially in the cloud, are configured according to security best practices to minimize the attack surface.
- Network Segmentation: Isolate critical systems to prevent attackers from moving laterally across your network.
- Immutable Backups: Maintain offline, encrypted, and tested backups of all critical data. If you can restore your data, you neutralize the attacker’s leverage.
Secure Your Data, Protect Your Patients
Even with the best defenses, a breach can still occur. Having a well-defined and practiced incident response plan is essential to managing the crisis effectively and minimizing damage. This plan should outline clear steps for containment, investigation, and recovery.
The threat of ransomware in healthcare is not just a technological challenge—it is a direct risk to patient care and organizational survival. The consequences of an attack, from operational chaos to tragic impacts on patient mortality, are too great to ignore. Protecting the modern healthcare organization requires a partnership between clinical leaders and cybersecurity experts.
Successfully defending thousands of cloud-based healthcare systems has taught us that a proactive and comprehensive security posture is non-negotiable. If you are concerned about your organization’s readiness to prevent and respond to healthcare ransomware attacks, taking the next step is critical.
Speak with a healthcare cybersecurity and compliance expert today to discuss your unique environment and begin building a more resilient defense.